


Home is Where the Swear Jar Is

by marilynthedork



Category: Camp Camp (Web Series)
Genre: Dadvid AU, David Adopts Max AU, Gen, Heavy Fluff, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Light Angst, Swearing, a universe where it doesn't take literal years to adopt a kid, adoption au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-19
Updated: 2017-07-23
Packaged: 2018-12-04 06:59:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,463
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11549934
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/marilynthedork/pseuds/marilynthedork
Summary: Exactly what it says on the tin: it's yet another David adopts Max AU.A series of short stories about Max and David, how their (father/son) relationship grows over time, and how they both help each other heal. Rated T for swearing, as well as themes of past child abuse.





	1. Bedroom/Boundaries

**Author's Note:**

> Special thanks to Charlie (somegrumpynerd). Not only was he responsible for half of the scenarios present in this fic, he also encouraged me to write this fic. I wouldn't be able to do it without your constant support, bro ♥

Chapter 1- Bedroom/Boundaries

            “-and this is going to be your room!” David announced enthusiastically, opening the door to the small guest bedroom to finish off his tour of the house. “Now, I know it’s not the prettiest room, but once you’re settled in we can definitely decorate it! How does that sound?”

            Max peaked in to the room with a bored expression. The walls were a plain cream color, and the doors were an equally plain brown. A wooden bed sat under the room’s one window, sheets smoothed down neatly. The rest of the furniture was simple too; the desk, dresser, and nightstand looked like they came from the same boring set as the bed. There was a gray rug thrown down in the middle of the room in a failed attempt to make it feel less barren. The room looked like it had been cleaned obsessively in preparation for him. Max wasn’t impressed, but he didn’t exactly loath it, either.

            “Sounds fine,” he shrugged, stepping into the room with his tiny suitcase in tow. He walked over to the bed and threw it on top, rumpling the covers.

            David beamed, seemingly oblivious to the kid’s lack of interest, “It’s going to be great, Max. I can’t wait to see what you pick out!”

            “Uh huh,” Max nodded, climbing onto the bed and laying on his back to stare at the ceiling.

            “Well, I guess I’ll leave you alone to settle down and unpack,” David said at last, setting down the black trash back full of more of Max’s clothes, “I’ll call you when dinner’s ready, okay? Does macaroni sound good?”

            “Sounds okay, I’m not picky,” Max told the other, still not sounding like he cared. David was used to this, however, and took it in stride.

            “Okie dokie! Have fun, buddy!” he chirped, closing the door behind him gently and bouncing down the hall to the promised food.

            When he was positive the other was far enough away, Max let out a tired groan. Living with David was going to be torturous, he decided. Mostly because of his perpetual cheerfulness, definitely, but also because some small, quiet part of Max’s mind thought it wasn’t completely terrible. And he knew that if his new guardian ever found out that part of him existed, he’d never hear the end of it. Just the thought of David’s stupid grin was enough to make him want to go to sleep and never wake up.

            He knew that he couldn’t do that, but he could totally take a quick nap before dinner to mentally prepare himself. David did tell him to make himself at home, after all.

-0-

            About two weeks after Max had started living with David, they had their first real fight. Sure, they had had disagreements in that time, usually about dinner or what TV show they were going to watch, but nothing serious. David knew it was inevitable, but it still stung when Max had started yelling at him.

            The argument was over back to school shopping. David had picked up a supply list, and the new school year was fast approaching. They both had a lot of preparation ahead of them. However, Max refused to cooperate. David had merely said they need to go shopping for what he would need soon, and Max made it abundantly clear that he wasn’t fond of the idea. It quickly escalated to Max screaming about how he hated school, his life, and David especially.

            David, who was gifted with the patience of a saint, never yelled back. Sure, he raised his voice, but only enough to ask Max to go to his room to cool off. In all honesty, he needed the time out just as much. It wouldn’t be a good step in building trust with the boy if he started screaming too. He knew how scary that could be for a child, and the last thing he wanted to do was scare Max away.

            David sat in his room for about half an hour, trying to read a book to calm down. However, he was only skimming the pages; he was more preoccupied with what he was going to say when he went down the hall. When he was positive he found the right words, he got up, went to Max’s door, and knocked softly.

            “Max? I want to talk to you, may I come in?” he asked gently.

            “No,” Max said flatly, barely loud enough for the man to hear.

            “Okay,” David nodded, before breathing deeply to begin his speech, “I think we both got heated, and said some things we didn’t really mean-“

            “I didn’t,” Max spat back, “I meant every goddam word!”

            “-And we will talk about that, definitely,” David continued evenly, “But I want you to understand my feelings and where I’m coming from okay? Now, I know school isn’t very fun, but you gotta go, sadly. But I believe that if we get your school supplies now, instead of at the last minute, you’ll feel much better about it. Does that make sense?”

            Max was quiet behind the door. David was worried the boy was ignoring him, and was about to ask if he was, when he heard Max sigh.

            “Hold on,” Max said, and a moment later the door was slowly opened to reveal an unimpressed kid, “David, what the fuck are you doing?”

            “I’m… trying to talk to you?” David answered uncertainly.

            “Yeah, I got that, moron, but why are you-“ Max gestured to David, trying to find the right words, “Out here?”

             David cocked his head to the side, “Because you said you didn’t want me to come in, so I didn’t.”

            Max scowled, as if trying to decide if David was pulling some sort of prank on him. Eventually, he asked at length, “And you just… didn’t? I thought adults could just go into whatever rooms they wanted.”

            “Of course I didn’t, Max,” David explained, kneeling down to talk to Max at eye level, “That’s your room, and no one should go in there unless you say so. Or unless it’s an emergency, I suppose, but that’s not the point.”

            Max expression softened into confusion, “But… you’re paying for the house?”

            “I am, yes,” David nodded slowly, “But that hardly matters. Here, let me put it this way: would it be okay for you to go into an adult’s room without permission?”

            “No!” Max said quickly, almost too quickly. He seemed to recoil at the idea.

            “Well, that’s a two-way street, Max. The only times I’ll come in without asking is if the door is open, and those times will probably be only to get laundry or to ask you a question, but if you tell me you don’t want me to come in, I’ll respect that, okay?”

            Max considered his words for a while, studying his face carefully for any signs of joking, “Okay, if you say so, I guess.”

            “I do say so,” David smiled gently, “Now, I’ll ask again: is it okay if I come in so we can talk?”

            Max paused again, thinking over the choice carefully, “Sure.”

            “Okay,” David exhaled, standing up to step into the room, “Where should I sit?”

            “On the bed, I guess,” Max shrugged, walking over and sitting there himself.

            David was careful to sit on the edge of the bed to give Max enough space. He then let Max talked about his feelings, giving him plenty of time to choose his words and to correct anything that came out wrong. Firstly, he hated school because his old one had been a shitty dump with teachers who weren’t paid enough to care. Next, he didn’t like shopping for clothes because it was tedious and boring, and school dress codes were restrictive and lame. Finally, he admitted that he didn’t hate his life, or David, as much as he used to.

            David listened quietly, nodding or shaking his head when Max asked a question and offering a word when the boy couldn’t articulate a feeling. Eventually, after much negotiation, they came up with a compromise. David agreed to do supply shopping and clothes shopping on two different days, and in exchange, Max comply when David asked him to try on clothes to make sure they would fit (with room to grow, David insisted.) They both agreed that Max should get to choose the color and style of notebooks, folders, and the backpack and lunchbox. They also both agreed that they should get food in town when they were done shopping, because David would most likely be too tired to cook.

            When David was satisfied they had a game plan they were both happy with, David stood up to leave. Before he could make it to the door, however, he was stopped by a tug on his shirt.

            “Wait-“ Max said, turning away with a pout. He sighed, before mumbling “Thanks for listening.”

            David smiled warmly, “Of course, Max, anytime. And thank you for listening and working with me.”

            “Yeah, yeah, whatever,” Max said dismissively, crossing his arms in an attempt to hide the smile threatening to take over his face, “Go be a sap somewhere else.”

            “Well, maybe I will,” David joked, sticking his tongue out.

            “Ew, you’re a dork,” Max whined, pushing David to leave his room.

            “Okay, okay, I’m going,” David laughed, letting himself be escorted out to the hall, “Say, how does pizza for dinner sound?”

            Max’s face lit up, “Not bad, camp man. Not bad at all.”

 


	2. Chapter 2- Mogar

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The one where Max gets a new toy and hates it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shout out to Charlie (somegrumpynerd) for beta-ing this chapter for me! Couldn't of done it without you, bro ♥
> 
> Also happy 400 Tumblr followers!! Woo!!

Chapter Two- Mogar

          David pushed the shopping cart into the store cheerfully. Max trailing behind with a scowl on his face. He despised grocery shopping; his legs were too short to walk around the entire supermarket, and riding in the cart always felt humiliating for reasons he couldn’t describe. So, one could imagine his displeasure at hearing David insist on taking him with him to the store. Max tried to stay home, but his guardian wouldn’t allow it. He sulked the whole ride over, and seemed content to sulk for the rest of the trip as well.

          David turned his cart in front of the store’s small arcade, and pulled out a few dollar bills from his pocket. He handed them to Max and patted his head with a smile. “Now, I know grocery shopping is really boring, but I promise I’m only grabbing a few things. It’ll only take a minute! And I want you to stay here, okay? Don’t run off, don’t talk to strangers… if you have to go to the bathroom, it’s down the front of the store, but don’t stay in there too long! And-“

          “Yeah, I get it,” Max cut him off, pocketing the money and heading to sit down on the tiny bench, “I’ll behave, promise.”

          David blinked, before taking a deep breath in through his nose. In all honestly, he was starting to get a _little_ overprotective. “Okay, thank you. I’ll be back before you know it!”

          “Goodie,” Max said sarcastically, slouching further down as if making himself smaller would make the other leave faster.

          David smiled at the boy, before setting off to buy some essentials they had run out of. He crossed everything off his list in record time. He didn’t realize how quickly he’d gone through the store until he came to the end of his list and looked at the time. He’d been shopping for less than fifteen minutes. He decided to go the long way back to the front of the store, through the electronics and toy section. Maybe he’d see something he’d forgotten on his way out, he reasoned.

          He passed a display full of various stuffed animals in the middle of one of the aisle on the way, and paused. He saw a plain brown bear crammed in the middle of colorful friends and various licensed characters. There was something about the bear that called out to David; something about the soft fur and black beady eyes reminded him of Max.

          When they were packing up his stuff from his old home, David noticed the boy had very few toys to begin with. Out of that, however, he only kept a handful of toy cars and two action figures. No stuffed animals, David noted. Something about that didn’t sit right with him. He took the bear out of the display without a second thought and made his way to checkout.

-0-

          “What the hell is this?” Max asked incredulously, shaking the box David had handed him.

          “It’s a present!” David beamed, “You should open it!”

          “No shit, Sherlock,” Max rolled his eyes. He then tore the tape away and lifted the flap on the box. His eyes widened in surprise, “A… teddy bear?”

          “Yup!” David exclaimed, standing up proudly, “I saw it in the store and had to get it for you! You’ve been doing so well since you got here, I though you deserved something nice!”

          Max took it out carefully, turning it over in his hand and feeling how soft and new the fur was.

          “What do you think?” David asked, eyes shining with excitement.

          “I think…” Max paused, holding the bear in one hand. Then, he wound back his arm and chunked it at the man, “I think it’s fucking stupid! God, David, I’m not a baby!”

          David flinched, mostly out of habit, as the toy bounced off his chest harmlessly. He looked down at where it had landed and frowned. “Max, it’s not very nice to throw things. And I wasn’t calling you a baby, I just thought you might like a friend!”

          “It’s a stupid toy, David, it can’t _be_ a friend!” Max huffed, “It’s not alive, dumbass!”

          “I know,” David faltered, bending down to pick up the bear and hold it against his chest protectively. “But sometimes, it’s just… it can be comforting to have something to hold, like when you’re sad, or scared, or-“

          “-Or a wimp, yeah, thanks,” Max interjected, before stomping down the hall to his room. Before he slammed his door, he added, “I don’t want it!”

          David stood in the living room, taking in the outburst. He held out the stuffed animal, and shook his head. “I’m sorry about all of that, Max is just… he’s a troubled kid. You can sit here on the couch for a while, though. You’ll be safe there.”

-0-

          The bear stayed at that spot on the couch for the next few days. David gave it a friendly smile every time he passed by, as if the toy was a shy camper he was trying to coax into socializing. In contrast, Max seemed determined to ignore its presence entirely, evidently still pissed off at the implication of being called weak. Once, David thought he caught him staring with interest at the bear, but as soon as Max noticed him he shoved it off the couch onto the floor and stormed off again. David shook his head, picked it up, and dusted it off with another apology.

          Soon, a week had passed, and he was too caught up with work to push the issue with Max. He was spending his evenings focused on the spreadsheet he had been asked to fill out for his boss (since he was one of the few people in his office who knew how to use Excel). Tonight was no excepting: he was zoned in on the names and numbers, listening to his music, the house relatively still. That was, until he heard Max yelp in pain from the living room. He was out in the hall in seconds, running to find the kid with a slew of questions, “Oh my goodness, Max, are you okay? What happened? Where are you hurt? Should I call-“

          Max growled when he heard the man coming, hiding something behind his back, “Lay off, David, I’m fine. God, you’re such a worry wart.”

          “Oh, there you are!” David sighed in relief when he saw the boy sitting on the floor in front of the couch. He took in the situation, noting the basket full of sewing supplies sitting next to him. “Max? What’s going on here? Did you hurt yourself?”

          “No! I just sta- it’s nothing!!” Max said defensively, hiding his hand from David.

          “Now Max, you know lying isn’t right,” David chided, “Especially when you’re doing it so badly. Now, come on, tell me what you’re up to. Are you- sewing something?”

          Max glared at the other, but reluctantly pulled out what he was hiding for the other to take and look at. It was the teddy bear he had been giving the cold shoulder, but with several modifications. The most obvious were the pieces of red felt cut and sewn onto the toy: two triangles on either side of the muzzle, one band all the way around the right arm, and two bands on the left. The other thing David noticed was the huge tear in the right ear.

          David took the toy and ran his hand over the felt, feeling the seam. It was tight, and the stitches were well spaced, considering a literal ten-year-old had put it together. “Max, this is really impressive,” David smiled, pride in his voice, “I guess you really were paying attention in sewing camp, huh?”

          “S-shut up,” Max blushed, crossing his arms over his chest. He then explained, “That’s war paint, because he’s a warrior. I was trying to give him a cool battle scar in his ear, but I stabbed my finger when I was sewing it back together. It’s not really a big deal. It doesn’t even hurt anymore.”

          David continued to admire the boy’s handiwork, “This is really great, Max. He’s a very handsome warrior; does he have a name?”

          “Mogar,” Max provided quietly, “I saw it in a comic book once, he was cool and strong and beat up anyone he didn’t like.”

          “Mogar,” David nodded, committing the fact to memory, “That’s an excellent name for a bear!”

          Max relaxed his arms and looked up to David, his expression hopeful, “You like him?”

          David handed the bear back and gave Max an encouraging smile, “Of course I do, Max! You were really creative to use felt for the paint, and you sewed it together really well!”

          Max hugged the teddy, a faint smile spreading across his face. It was the closest David had ever seen him to genuinely happy. It wasn’t a smirk or a forced smiled. It was just the boy being content with what he had done.

          David stood up and ruffled his hair, “You can come into my office and finish fixing his ear if you want, I’m almost done with my work for tonight.”

          “Okay.” Max blinked, snapping out of his trance. He picked up his supplies and put them in the basket. He then paused, before calling, “Hey, David?”

          “Yes, Max?” David asked, turning around, “Is there something you need?”

          Max looked down, “Yeah, uh… I don’t know how to fix his ear without making it look like shit. Can you show me how?”

          David beamed warmly, “Of course I would.”

          Max sighed, relieved, before continuing hesitantly, “And- thanks for the bear. I- can see why having it is kinda nice, I guess.”

          David’s grin grew wider, “You’re welcome, Max. I hope he’s a good friend to you.”

          They went into the office and David showed him how to do a stitch to connect the two pieces of fabric without the seam being so noticeable. Max sat on the floor and slowly stitched the ear, occasionally muttering a curse when he pricked his finger or he messed up. David filled in the last of the spreadsheet, enjoying the presence of the kid while he worked. Max even made a comment about his choice of music; he never pictured David the type to listen to AC/DC or Jimi Hendricks.

          After a while, they both finished their projects, and were content with their hard work. David took the bear when Max offered it up for inspection, “Wow, this is really good, Max! Are you sure you’ve never sewn before?”

          “Positive,” Max rolled his eyes, “I would never learn something that lame unless you shoved it down my throat at camp.”

          “Hey now,” David scolded playfully, “Sewing may not be cool, but you can make some cool stuff with it, right?”

          “Yeah, I guess,” Max shrugged, taking his bear and heading for the door.

          “Hey Max?” David asked before the other left.

          Max turned his head to scowl at the other over his shoulder, “What?”

          David grinned impishly, “Would Mogar ever want to visit Dr. Fuzzy?”

          “Oh my god, you are the worst,” Max groaned, walking into the hallway so the other couldn’t see the tiny grin.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The idea of the bear being based off of Mogar from XRay and Vav was Charlie's (thanks again, bro!) I watched like 1.5 episodes of the show and concluded that Mogar is the strong silent type.
> 
> Also if you're wondering who Dr Fuzzy is: he's a teddy bear who appeared in my last fic, "Camp Cabin Fever"! He's a good cuddly friend for David!!

**Author's Note:**

> I can't say for certain when the next chapter, but it should be sooner rather than later. Thanks for reading!


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